John Muir was born on April 21, 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland. In his later life he devoted his time to the preservation of Western forests. In 1889 Muir argued in Century Magazine that Yosemite Valley should become a national park. In 1890 the passage of a law made it possible for it to become a national park due in a large part to Muir’s influence. The interest in preserving forests helped to influence John into founding the Sierra Club. It is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. John Muir was president of the club until his death 22 years later. John Muir died on December 24, 1914 while visiting his daughter. John Muir is comparable to Everett Ruess and Chris McCandless in several ways. John’s father was very strict like Chris’ father. John’s dad always had him working on the family farm which took away from John’s love of books. John Muir was also well educated by enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at age 22. John dedicated his life after college to nature almost exactly what Chris had done. Although, he didn’t lose his life during explorations like Chris and Everett, John’s interest in glaciers and freezing caused him to take countless trips into the Alaskan Range. Sources Muir, John. “Notablebiographies.net” John Muir Biography. Advameg inc., n.d. Web. 29 Apr 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Muir-John.html.> “www.wikipedia.org” John Muir. Wikimedia foundations Inc, 29/4/10. Web. 29 Apr. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir>. Created by: AJ Usner
Sources
Muir, John. “Notablebiographies.net” John Muir Biography. Advameg inc., n.d. Web. 29 Apr 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Muir-John.html.>
“www.wikipedia.org” John Muir. Wikimedia foundations Inc, 29/4/10. Web. 29 Apr. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir>.
Created by: AJ Usner